Module 4

TREATMENT PROCESS
flow diagram for municipal waste water
Treatment unit operations and process Screens:
types, disposal. Grit chamber, oil and grease
removal. Primary and secondary settling tanks,
 UNIT OPERATIONS

• Unit operations are those procedures in which changes produced are

physical, chemical or biological.
• The influent or wastewater collected from residences or industries are first
subjected to Screening process to remove the floating matters present in
the sewage.

• The water which comes out of screening tanks is passed through the Grit
chambers or Detritus tanks to remove the grits or sand particles.

• Then effluent which comes out of grit chamber is subjected to Primary

Sedimentation tanks in order to remove the large suspended organic
solids which is achieved by settling process where water is allowed to flow
in slower rate, then heavy denser particles settles down at the bottom of the
tank.

• The settled organic particles at the bottom of the primary sedimentation

tanks is called primary sludge.
• The effluent which comes out of the primary settling tank is subjected to
Biological treatment or Secondary treatment where, decomposition of
organic matter takes place by aerobic bacteria with the supply of oxygen.

• Then stabilized organic particles along with the water is passed through the
Secondary clarifier where the stabilized organic particles settles at the
bottom of the tank.

• The sludge which is settled at the bottom of the tank is again recirculated
back and mixed with effluent which comes of primary sedimentation tank
which is part of Activated Sludge Process and remaining sludge is mixed
with primary sludge and then subjected to Sludge digestion process.

• In sludge digestion process, wastewater is first subjected to Thickening,

where number of solid sludge particles are increased by separating from
liquid.
• The liquid which rests over the solid sludge particles are removed out is
called as supernatant.

• The solid sludge which consists of moisture content is removed out in

Dewatering process.

• The dry form of sludge is used as manure for improving the fertility of
soil.

• The effluent which comes out of secondary clarifier is fed into disinfection
tank where chlorine is added to the wastewater to kill germs and
pathogenic bacteria present in the water.

• Then water which comes out of disinfection tank containing germs are
removed out in final or advanced or tertiary treatment process after that,
the water can be directly discharged to nearby water courses.
 Treatment process as a whole classified into 4 types:

Preliminary treatment process:

• This treatment process consists of separating the floating materials like
dead animals, tree branches, papers, pieces of rags or wood etc., present in
the sewage and also to remove heavy settleable inorganic solids.
• This process also helps in removing oil and grease particles present in the
sewage. This process reduces the BOD of wastewater by about 15 to 30%.
• The units used in preliminary process are
a) Screening - For removal of floating matters like papers, rags, pieces of
clothes etc.
b) Grit chambers or Detritus tank – For removal of grits and sand particles.
c) Skimming tanks – For removal of oil and grease particles present in the
sewage.
Primary treatment process:
• This treatment process consists of removing large suspended
organic solids. This is usually achieved by sedimentation
process.
• The liquid effluent from primary treatment process consists of
large amount of suspended organic matters having BOD of
60% of original.
• The organic solids which are separated out in the
sedimentation tank are often stabilized by anaerobic
decomposition in a digestion tank.
• This residue is used for landfills or soil conditioners.
Secondary or Biological treatment process:
• This treatment process further treats the effluent which is
coming out from primary sedimentation tanks.
• This treatment process is achieved by biological
decomposition of organic matter which can be carried out
either under aerobic or anaerobic condition.
• Treatment process in which organic matter is decomposed by
aerobic bacteria is called aerobic decomposition.
• Units which are used in this treatment process are filters,
aeration tanks, oxidation ponds, aerated lagoons.
Tertiary or final or advanced treatment process:
• In the activated aeration process, a pair of conventional
activated sludge plants operating in parallel are used.
• Excess activated sludge from the secondary settling tank of
one unit will supply to the aeration tanks of both units, and the
sludge from the second unit is pumped to final disposal.
• This arrangement reduces the construction costs, and operating
costs but does not modify the operating results.
 Types of Screens
• Coarse Screens
• Fine Screens
 Coarse Screens
• Consist of parallel iron rods
• Spacing: 2.5 – 5 cm
• Inclined at 45°–60°
• Cleaning: Manual or Mechanical
 Fine Screens
• Made of woven wire mesh
• Opening size less than 6 mm
• Remove fine suspended solids
• Prone to clogging
 Grit Chambers – Necessity
• Remove sand and heavy inorganic matter
• Prevent abrasion of pumps
• Avoid deposition in tanks
 Types of Grit Chambers
• Horizontal Flow Grit Chamber
• Aerated Grit Chamber
 Horizontal Flow Grit Chamber
• Flow is horizontal
• Constant velocity maintained
• Grit settles due to gravity
 Aerated Grit Chamber
• Air diffusion provided
• Heavier grit settles
• Organic matter remains in suspension
• Negligible head loss
 Disposal of Grit
• Dumping
• Burial
• Sanitary landfill
• Grit washing recommended
 Detritus Tank
• Rectangular grit chamber
• Lower velocity (~0.09 m/s)
• Longer detention time (3–4 min)
• Separates fine sand and grit
 Need for Oil & Grease Removal
• Prevents scum formation
• Avoids foul odour
• Protects biological treatment units
• Prevents clogging of filters
 Skimming Tanks
• Narrow rectangular tanks
• Air diffusers provided at bottom
• Oil and grease float as scum
 Disposal of Skimmings
• Burning
• Burial
• Limited reuse in non-edible products
 Primary Treatment – Sedimentation
• Removal of settleable organic solids
• Achieved by gravity settling
• Produces primary sludge
 Primary Sedimentation Tank
• Velocity of flow reduced
• Heavy particles settle at bottom
• Does not remove dissolved solids
 Secondary Treatment – Purpose
• Biological decomposition of organic matter
• Further reduction of BOD
• Uses microorganisms
 Biological Treatment
• Microorganisms consume organic matter
• Convert it into stable compounds
• Produces new microbial cells
 Suspended Growth Processes
• Activated Sludge Process
• Aerated Lagoons
• Oxidation Ponds
• Sludge Digestion
 Activated Sludge Process – Definition
• Sewage mixed with activated sludge
• Aerated in presence of oxygen
• High BOD removal efficiency
 Steps in Activated Sludge Process
• The settled sewage from P.S.T is mixed with required amount of activated
sludge coming from S.S.T. The resultant mixture is called “Mixed Liquor
Suspended Solid (MLSS)”.
• MLSS is passed through aeration tank where it is mixed with air for 4-8
hours.
• The sewage is oxidized by bacteria in the presence of O2 due to which
BOD of sewage is reduced.
• The aerated MLSS is then sent to S.S.T where is allowed to settle. The
effluent is discharged off and some of the settled sludge is recirculated as
activated sludge and the rest is disposed of after treatment.
• The effluent of S.S.T is sparkling clear water and contain very small
amount of organic matters and can be disposed of without any further
treatment except chlorination which is employed occasionally.
 Design Criteria – MLSS
• Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids in aeriation
tank
• Represents microorganism concentration in
aeriation tank
• Permissible range: 2100–2500 mg/L
 Design Criteria – F/M Ratio
• Food to Microorganism ratio
• Range: 0.2 – 0.5 per day
• Controls biological activity
• F/M ratio is given by
 Sludge Volume Index (SVI)
• Indicates settling characteristics of sludge
• Measured using Imhoff cone
 Measuring process of imhoff cone
• Collect a representative sample of the mixed liquor from the
aeration tank of the activated sludge system.
• Fill the Imhoff cone with the collected mixed liquor sample up
to the 1,000 mL mark. Allow the sample to settle in the Imhoff
cone for a specific period, usually 30 minutes.
• After the settling period, observe the settled sludge in the
graduated lower cone of the Imhoff cone.
• The sludge will separate into two layers: a supernatant liquid
layer and a settled sludge layer.
• Measure the volume of the settled sludge layer in milliliters.
• The volume of settled sludge (Vs) is found and
Sludge Volume Index (SVI) is calculated from

Vs → Volume of settled sludge in Imhoff cone.

MLSS → Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
 Sludge Recirculation Ratio
• Ratio of return sludge to influent flow
• Controls MLSS concentration
• Typical range: 0.25 – 0.5
Advantages of Activated Sludge Process
• Low installation cost
• Good quality effluent
• Low land requirement
• Loss of head is small
• Freedom from fly and odor nuisance high
degree of treatment
Disadvantages of Activated Sludge Process

• Not very flexible method Operation cost is

high
• Sludge disposal is required on large scale
• This process is sensitive to certain industrial
wastes
• Skilled supervision is required to check that
the returned sludge remains active
 Tapered Aeration Process
• Higher air supply at inlet
• Air supply decreases along tank
• Efficient oxygen utilization
 Step Aeration Process
• Return sludge introduced at multiple points
• Uniform oxygen demand
• Reduced aeration tank volume
 Extended Aeration Process
• Long aeration period (12–24 hrs)
• Low F/M ratio
• High BOD removal (95–98%)
 Conclusion
• Wastewater treatment protects environment
• Combination of physical and biological
processes
• Activated sludge is widely used